Mourinho at Barcelona? The vote that almost rewrote history
A report in Spain reveals that José Mourinho was close to being appointed as Barcelona's coach in 2008, and even received the majority of votes in an internal club vote. Club president Joan Laporta ultimately chose Pep Guardiola, following the support of Johan Cruyff and Txiki Begiristain.
A report by Spanish journalist Xavi Torres on RAC1 radio reveals that José Mourinho was very close to being appointed as Barcelona's coach in 2008. At that time, Barcelona was looking for a replacement for Frank Rijkaard, and Mourinho was one of the leading candidates. Club representatives met with the Portuguese coach, who very much wanted to return to the club where he had previously worked on the professional staff under Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal. In the first vote held among club officials, Mourinho received the highest number of votes by a significant margin. Manuel Pellegrini received only three votes, while Guardiola received none. Despite the vote results, club president Joan Laporta decided to go in a different direction. Johan Cruyff and Txiki Begiristain supported the appointment of Guardiola, and Laporta accepted their recommendation. Mourinho himself was determined to get the job and even tried to promote his candidacy through people close to the club. In the end, Mourinho moved on to Inter, where he won the treble, and later became the coach of Real Madrid, becoming one of Barcelona's greatest rivals during Guardiola's era. He is now coaching Real Madrid again.